Adolfo mario



No. 626,181. menten; may 30,' i399. A. Mme.

TANN'FN'G.

(Application tiled Dec. 81, 1897.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

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TANNING.

(Applcatiun filed Dec. 31, 1897.) l

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 No. 6246,1sl.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADOLFO MARIO, OF TURIN, ITALY.

TANNING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 626,181, dated May 30, 1899.

Application filed December 31,1897. Serial No. 664,907. (No model.)

To all whom, it muy concern:

Be it known that I, ADOLFO MARIO, asubject of the King of Italy, and a resident of Madonna di Campagna, Turin, Italy, havein- Vented certain new and useful Improvements in Tanning, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent in Italy, No. 43,444, dated December 28, 1896, and in France, No. 268,248, dated June 28, 1897,) of which the following is a clear, full, and exact specification.

The object of my invention is to expedite the process of tanning by mechanical means.

To this end my invention consists inthe apparatus and process as hereinafter described and claimed.

My process may be used in connection with any of the known chemical agents used in tanning, whether in slow or rapid tanning, and the main feature thereof consists in causing the skins to absorb the tanning agent in a shorter time than is now required. This is effected by a rolling and unrolling of the skins alternately and in opposite directions, which causes a continuous opening and closing of the pores of the skin on both the grain and flesh sides. This facilitates the absorption of the tanning agent, and therefore shortens the time required fortanning.v

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal section of a series of tanningvats, showing the apparatus employed. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one of the rolls, and Figs. 4 and 5 are side views of the bearings for the rolls.

A represents a series of vats placed. side by side, in which the tanning liquids, of different strengths, are held. Near the top of each vat are revoluble rolls B, to which the skins are fastened. The rolls are so arranged that when one of them is winding up the skin attached thereto the next one is unwinding, and so on.

Oscillating frames O, one in each vat, are actuated by the rods E, which are driven by cranks on the wheels P. The purpose of these frames is to agitate the tanning liquid and to keep it at an even temperature throughout.Y

Entering each vat, near the base thereof, is a pipe H for the admission of the tanning liquid, and a pipe I, near the top of each vat and above the rolls B, serves for the exit of said liquid.

A network of pipes or radiating coils N in the bottom of each Vat, to which hot Water or some other heating agent is supplied, serves to keep the temperature of the liquid in each vat at the proper level. The temperature of the heating agent used (preferably hot water) is controlled by the thermostatic apparatus o L M, in which o is a water-supply pipe, L a vessel heated in any suitable manner, as by a lamp, (not shown,) and M an expansive and cooling chamber. A return-pipe 3 connects the radiating coils with the-base of the vessel L. A supply-pipe 2 connects the top of this vessel with the radiating coils. A small pipe 4 connects the pipe 2'with the chamber M, .entering the latter near its top, and. a second small pipe 54 connects the bottom of the chamber M with the pipe 3. The operation of this part of the apparatus is as follows: Heat being applied to the vessel L, the Water therein becomes hot and therefore lighter and rises through the pipe 2 and passes into the coils of pipe N, and the cold water in said coils returns through the pipe 3 to the vessel L. Thus a constant circulation of hot water is kept up through the coils. The pipes 4 and 5 and the chamber M serve to automatically regulate this circulation in the following way: As the hot water in passing through the pipe 2 comes to the point of union of the pipes 2 and 4 aportion of the hot water passes into the latter. The quantity of water in this part of the apparatus is regulated so that the normal level is slightly below the point where the pipe 4 enters the chamber M. The Water in the pipe 4, after the vessel L is heated, will, as it is hot, stand at a slightly-higher level than in the pipe 5 and chamber M. If the heat becomes high enough it will drive some of the water in the pipe 4 into the chamber M and therefore force some of the water in the pipe 5 downinto the pipe 3, thus checking the flow fromk the coils to the vessel L and thereby checking the flow through the pipe 2, thus automatically regulating the flow of the hot water, according to the temperature thereof.

The pipes 4 and 5 are made small for two reasons-rst, that the proportion of. water diverted from lthe su pply-pipe 2 may be small,

and, second, that the water in the pipes l and 5, more especially the latter,may cool quickly. It is of course obvious that any water-rad iating circuit thermostatically controlled may be used in place of the one described.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the rolls. o o" are the trunnions. p is a pulley (or it may be a toothed pinion) provided with a flange (i to prevent the hide from being damaged by coming in contact with the pulley. s s are movable portions hinged to the body of the roll and provided with pins 5c, which are adapted to fit into holes in the body of the roll. .I is a sliding bolt adapted to lock the parts s s together. Each hide F is held by the pins (when the parts S s are bolted together) and is kept stretched by a bar G, attached to the lower part thereof by wires, spring-clips, or any suitable fastening means. The trunnions o' o" are held by the brackets or bearings D D', secured inside of the vats. The bearing D is provided with a slot 7, so that the roll may be easily removed from its bearings.

O11 one of the vats is secured a standard O, in which is mounted in adjustable bearings the shaft 8, carrying the pulleys or pinions d/ and p. A belt or chaint passes over the pulleys or pinions p P p and idlers 9, passing alternately aboie and below the pulleys or pinions p, whereby the adjacent rolls are revolved in opposite directions.

The shaft Sis revolved by the pulley or pinion d fixed thereon, which is driven by a belt or chain q, engaging the pulleys or pinions d' (I, the latter being carried by the shaft 10, on which are the ordinary fast and loose pulleys d b c. c are shifting fingers for the driving-belts (not shown) and are mounted on a sliding shaft Il, which is supported in the standards m n, in which the shaft 10 is also mounted.

The shaft 10 is provided with a worm g, which meshes with the teeth l2 on the wheel 13, which is also provided with a cam-face f. Ii is a lever pivoted at h on the standard m and attached to one end of the shaft ll. Z is a spring connecting one end of the lever and the upper part of the standard m and serves to keep the lever' always in contact with the cam-face f.

The parts described in the last two paragraphs constitute an automatic reversinggcarin The operation is as follows: A skin, after going through the ordinary operations preliminary to tanning, is suspended from each of the rolls by means of the fastenings described and the weights G attached thereto. The rolls are then placed in the journals D D' in the vats, which have been nearly filled with tanning liquors, the strength of these liquors varying in the different vats. The driving mechanism is then adjusted and started and heat applied to the vessel L. The skins are wound up on the rolls, unwound, and then this winding and unwinding is repeated, but

in the reverse direction. This effects a successive opening and closing of the pores of the skins, whereby the liquor is first drawn into the pores and then the uncombined portion squeezed out. This alternateaction greatly aids the absorption of the tanning agent by the skins, and the tanning operation is thereby facilitated. After the skins have been subjected for a time to this operation in one vat the rolls and skins are transferred bodily to another vat containing a stronger tanning liquor and the winding and unwinding operations repeated. rlhe skins as they are taken from the last vat, which contains the strongest tanning liquor, are completely tanned.

It will of course be understood that many changes maybe made in the apparatus without departing from the spirit of myinvention, which is that the skins be alternately rolled and unrolled in suitable tanning liquors. For instance, any well-known thermostaticallycontrolled heating-circuit may be used, or any desired means for securing the skin to the roll and keeping the skin taut, or any desired means for supporting and driving the rolls, or any desired form of reversing gearing. I therefore Wish it to be expressly understood that I do not limit myself to the exact details of the apparatus shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The process of tanning, which consists in suspending the skins separately on revoluble rolls'in a suitable tanning liquor, and causing the skins to be alternately wound up on said rolls and then unwound therefrom, substantially as described.

2. The process of tanning which consists in suspending the skins separately on revoluble rolls in a suitable tanning liquor, causing the skins to be wound up on said rolls in one direction, unwound and then wound up in the reverse direction and unwound, substantially as described.

3. The process of tanning, which consists in suspending the skins separately on revoluble rolls in a suitable tanning liquor, stretching the skins, causing them to be wound up on the rolls in one direction unwound and then wound up and unwound in the reverse direction, substantially as described.

4c. The process of tanning, which consists in suspending the skins separately on revoluble rolls in a suitable tanning liquor, stretching the skins, causing them to be wound up on the rolls in one direction, unwound and then wound up and unwound in the reverse direction, transferring the skins to a stronger tanning liquor and repeating the steps of wind ing up and unwinding, substantially as dci scribed.

5. In an apparatus for tanning, the combination of a vat, rolls journalcd therein, mechanism for revolving said rolls, mechanism for automatically reversing the direction of rotation of said rolls and means for removably IOO IIO

ISO

suspending skins to said rolls, substantially as described.

6. In an apparatus for tanning, the combi# nation of a vat, rolls removably journaled in said vat, mechanism for revolving the adjacent rolls in opposite directions,weights adapted to be attached to the skins undergoing tanning, means for suspending the skins from said rolls and mechanism for automatically reversing the direction ofrotation of said rolls, substantially as described.

7. In an apparatus for tanning, the combination of a vat, adapted to contain tanning liquor, rolls journaled in said vat, mechanism for revolving said rolls, mechanism for reversing the direction of rotation of said rolls and means for maintaining the tanning liquor in said vat at the proper temperature, substantially as described.

8. In an apparatus for tanning, the combination of a vat adapted to contain tanning liquor, rolls j ournaled in said vat, mechanism for revolving said rolls, mechanism for reversing the direction of rotation of said rolls, and means for agitating the tanning liquor in said vat, substantially as described.

9. In an apparatus for tanning, the combination of a vat, adapted to contain tanning liquor, rolls journaled in said vat, means for revolving said rolls, means for reversing the direction of rotation of said rolls, means for agitating the tanning liquor and means for heating the same, substantially as described.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ADOLFO MARIO.

Witnesses:

YARIo OAPosIR, FERIE BAZETTo. 

